Unblessing the Purity (2008)

Bloodbath waste no time in letting you know exactly what they're about -- as soon as the low, guttural screams of vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt are heard over the caustic riffing and calamitous drumming of his bandmates, the frenetic picture comes together.

The Unblessing The Purity EP is an unbridled and unapologetic metal assault, and what the band lacks in variety they make up for in proficient technicality and unwavering power. Simply put, Bloodbath is just the kind of music that will knock you clear on your ass.

Being that there's only four songs on the EP, the band doesn't have long to establish their sound, but they make it work. "Blasting the Virgiborn" is an exercise in speed and dexterity; the band changes rhythms and chord progressions on a moments notice, and because they don't stick to a typical structure, guitarists Anders Nystrom and Per Eriksson have free reign to weave whatever chords they want into the songs' fabric. Often one guitarist will play at a slower, more punishing clip while the other injects speed and different rhythms in the undercurrent. It's a structure that gets better and more apparent as the EP progresses.

"Sick Salvation" is three rapid-fire minutes where the band seems to play faster and harder as the song progresses, and the faster and harder the band plays the more deep and powerful are Akerfeldt's screams, only pausing for some slick guitar soloing towards the end of the track.

Without bringing anything new to the table, Bloodbath have put forth a fairly captivating offering. They bring terrific musicianship and a raw power to the table that fans of the genre will no doubt be impressed by, and if this is only a stepping stone into bigger things for the band, those same fans should be extremely excited for what's to come.